Bottle stopper device for preventing refilling of bottles.



7 Patented Nov. 26 I90I. n. BUSTIN & E. r. mans, BDTTLE STOPPEB' DEVICE FOR PREVENTING BEFILLING 0F BOTTLES.

(Application filed Feb. 18, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES] PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BUSTIN, OF ST. JOHNS, CANADA, AND EVELYN F. MYERS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS; SAID BUSTIN ASSIGNOR TO SAID MYERS.

BOTTLE STOPPER DEVICE FOR PREVENTING REFILLING 0F BOTTLES.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 687,194, dated November 26, 1901.

Application filed February 13, 1900. Serial No 5 ,107- (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ROBERT BUs'rIN, a subject of the Queen of'Great Britain, and a resident of St. Johns, New Brunswick, Ganada, and EVELYN F. MYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Stopper Devices for Preventing the Refilling of Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improved bottle-stopper, comprising devices for preventing the refilling of a bottle after its original contents have been poured out or discharged.

The principal objects of our invention are to provide means to prevent jolting or shaking of the stopper-valve from its seat in any attempt to refill the bottle, also to provide improved means for permanently securing in the neck of a bottle a tubular stopper device having liquid-passages so constructed as to prevent the introduction of a wire to unseat the stopper-valve, also to provide a buoyant locking device intermediate the stopper-val V0 and permanently-secured stopper to lock the stopper valve when the buoyant body is floated by a liquid in the bottle-neck above said valve, and, further, to provide improved means for conveniently suspending a weight from the stopper-valve to prevent said valve from being jolted out of place.

The invention consists in features of construction and novel combinations of parts in bottle-stoppering devices, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1' is a vertical section of the neck portion of a bottle provided with our improved stopper devices for preventing the refilling of the bottle and also showing the preferred means for suspending a weight from the stoppervalve. Fig. 2 is a similar View when the bottle is disposed at an angle, showing the position assumed by a buoyant portion of the bottlestoppering device on an attempt to refill the bottle, whereby the said buoyant portion of the device is floated upward and thereby extended in length by change of position and made to bear at one end against the under side of the stopper-crown and at the other end against the stopper-valve to prevent displacement of said valve fromits seat by shaking the bottle. Fig. 3 is a plan of the neck portion of the bottle with stopper inserted.- Fig. 4 is a perspective of the tubular outer portion of the bottldstopper. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the buoyant device for causing a locking of the stopper-valve onto its seat in attempts at refilling the bottle.

Referring to thedrawings, the numeral 1 designates a portion of the body of a bottle, and 2 its neck. The lower portion of the neck of the bottle isinteriorly contracted at 3, Figs. 1 and 2, in such manner as to form at this point a somewhat-tapering seat for a conoidal stopper-valve 4, that is preferably composed of glass or other suitable non-corrosive material. It is preferable to provide the under end portion of the stopper-valve 4 with a shank 5, that will prevent said valve from turning wholly over when inserted, it being designed that the lateral diameter of the space in closed within the neck of the bottle immediately above the valve-seat 3 shall not be sufficient to permit the said valve to turn over within the bottle-neck. Consequently when the stopper-valve 4 is dropped into the neck of the bottle with the shank 5 downward the said valve must necessarily seat itself properly.

As shown in Fig. 1, there is suspended from the valve-shank 5, by means of a flexible connection 6, a weight '7, of glass or non-corrosive material, the said weight being adapted to hold the valve 4 to its seat 3 when the bottle is tilted to one side and shaken, as in efforts to dislodge said valve when attempts are made at refilling the bottle. The valve-shank 5 is provided with a shoulder o and the weight 7 has thereon a stem 7, provided with a shoulder 7", said shoulder 5 and shoulderedstem 7 being intended for attachment of the two ends of the string or cord 6, that connects the valve 4 and its Weight 7, and being easily cast on said parts at but slight expense.

In the interior of the bottle-neck 2 at a point, say, about midway its length is formed a broad internal annular groove 8 to facilitate the pouring of liquid from the bottle, as

presently explained. Near the lip of the bottle-neck are formed two internal annular grooves 9 and 10, Figs. 1 and 2, that are concerned in the permanent fastening into place of a tubular stopper-body 11, Fig. 4, the construction of which will now be explained.

The tubular stopper 11 may be made from glass, porcelain, or any other suitable material that will resist corrosion. It is open at its outer end, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and is closed at its lower end by an inward and upward reflected portion which we may term a crown 12, the tubular wall of which is so much reduced in diameteras to leave between it and the main tubular portion 11 of the stopper an annular space 13 for passage of liquid through one or more of a series of openings 14, that are formed in the lower part of the outer tubular portion of the stopper.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be noted that when the stopper 11 is secured in place its openings 14 will be opposite the broad annular groove 8 in the interior of the bottle-neck, thus affording an ample passage or passages for the pouring of liquid from the bottle past the unseated valve 4 and through the internal bottle-neck groove 8, opening or openings 14, annular space 13, and thence out through the outer open end of the main tubular portion 11 of the stopper.

It will be observed by reference to Figs, 1, 2 and 4 that the lower end portion of the tubular stopper 11 is reduced in diameter exteriorly opposite and adjacent to the internal annular groove 8 of the bottle-neck. An annular space 15 is thus provided between the bottle-neck and the lower portion of said tubular stopper. It will also be seen that the internal annular groove 8 is deeper at its under part than it is at top and that the upper edges of the openings 14 in the lower portion of the stopper 11 are beveled outward and upward into the annular space 15 between the lower portion of the tubular stopper 11 and the bottle-neck. By this construction of the grooveS, openings 14, and annular space 15 a wire inserted into the inner annular space 13 and through either one of said openings 14 in an attempt to get at and dislodge or unseat the valve 4 would result in deflection of such wire into the outer annular space 15, thus foil ing such attempt to unseat the stopper-valve 4 preparatory to refilling the bottle.

In order that the tubular stopper 11 may be securely fastened (preferably cemented) into the bottle-neck,theupperouterportion ofsaid stopper 11 is provided with two external annular grooves 16 and 17,corresponding with the internal annular grooves 9 and 10, formed in the bottle-neck 2 and adapted to coincide therewith when the stopper 11 is inserted. The upper rim of the tubular stopper 11 is provided on its exterior with two vertical passages 18 and 19, Figs, 3 and 4, arranged opposite to each other and communicating with the upper annular groove 17 of the stopper. There are also formed on the outside of the stopper 11 two vertical grooved passages 20 and 21, located at opposite points and connecting the two grooves 16 and 17 of the stopper. Now when the stopper 11 has been inserted or placed in position in the bottleneck plaster-of-paris or any suitable cementing material 22 may be poured into either one of the vertical passages 18 or 19, Fig. 3, and will pass into the upper grooves 10 and 17 of the bottle-neck and stopper, respectively, the other one of said vertical passages serving as a vent. The cementing material will also flow from the upper grooves 10 and 17 through either one of the vertical passages 20 or 21 into the lower grooves 9 and 16 of the bottle-neck and stopper, respectively, the other one of said passages serving likewise as a vent. Thereis a slight corresponding taper in the interior of the bottle-neck and on the exterior of the tubular stopper 11, so that the grooves on each will readily coincide or register when the stopper is inserted, and free passages are thus provided for flow of the cementing material. As soon as the cement or plaster-of-paris hardens or sets the stopper will be securely locked in place.

By constructing the tubular stopper 11 with an inward and upward reflected crown portion 12 a chamber 23 will be provided for reception of a buoyant body 24, from the under side of which is suspended, by means of a flexible connection 25, anotherbuoyant body 26, that normally rests on the top of the stopper-valve 4 when the bottle is upright. It is preferable to make the upper buoyant body 24 oblong, and the lower buoyant body 26 may be substantially square, as shown. Both bodies may be made of cork or any other sufficiently buoyant material. The flexible connection 25 should be attached to the bodies 24 and 26 in line with their longer diameters, so that when said bodies are floated, as shown in Fig. 2, by introduction of liquid into the bottle-neck above the valve 4 the ascent of the said buoyant bodies will result in turning the lower body in such manner as to effect an extension of the two bodies in a direction between the top of the valve 4 and the under side of the crown 12 and in contact with both. In Fig. 1 is shown the position of the buoyant bodies 24 and 26 when the bottle is upright and has no liquid in its neck portion. Should it be attempted to introduce liquid into the neck of the bottle when the bottle is disposed at an angle, as shown in Fig. 2, the uppermost buoyant body 24 would float upward in its confining-chamber 23, and the buoyant body will assume the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to bear at one end on its longer diameter against the valve 4 and at the other end against the buoyant body 24, thus the two bodies serving as a lock to prevent the valve from being unseated or jolted out of place by shaking the bottle. It will thus be seen that the buoyant device for locking the valve 4 to its seat will prevent the success of any attempt to refill the bottle by tilting or shaking it while liquid is introduced to the neck portion. The weight 7, attached to the under side of the valve .4, will also exert a retarding or frictional action against the sides of the bottle, as well as by its gravity, to prevent the valve 4 from being tilted or shaken from its seat during attempts to refill the bottle. When once empty, the bottle cannot be refilled and diverted from its intended uses. In the outer end of the permanent tubular stopper 11 there is of course sufficient space for insertion of a cork, as usual.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. In devices for preventing the refilling of bottles, a locking device comprising two buoyant bodies having a flexible connection and located intermediate a stopper-valve and a permanently-secured outer stopper pro vided with passages, said buoyant lockingbodies being so arranged that when said bodies are floated by introduction of liquids into the bottle-neck above the valve, the ascent of said buoyant bodies will turn the lower body in such direction as to effect an extension of the two bodies in the space between the top of the valve and the under side of the outer stopper and in contact with both, to lock the valve to its seat, substantially as described.

2. In devices for preventing the refilling of bottles, the combination with a bottle-neck having a valve-seat therein, a conoidal valve fitted to said seat, and a stopper permanently secured in the outer portion of the bottleneck and provided with passages, of a weight suspended from said valve, and a locking device comprising two buoyant bodies having a flexible connection and located intermediate said valve and the said permanentlysecured stopper, substantially as described.

3. In devices for preventing the refilling of bottles, the combination with a bottle having its neck provided internally with a valveseat, and a stopper permanently secured in the outer portion of the bottle-neck and provided with passages, of a conoidal valve fit ted to said valve-seat and provided with a depending and shouldered stem, a weight having a shouldered stem, and a cord attached to the said shouldered stems of the valve and weight to suspend said weight from said valve, substantially as described.

4;. In devices for preventing the refilling of bottles, the combination with a bottle-neck having a valve-seat therein and an internal annular groove intermediate said valve-seat and the outer end of the bottle-neck, of a conoidal valve fitted to said valve-seat and provided with a shouldered stem, a weight having a shouldered stem, a flexible connection attached to the said shouldered stems of the valve and weight to suspend said weight from said valve, and a tubular stopper permanently secured in the outer portion of the bottle-neck and having an outer open end and an inwardly-reflected lower closed end, the said closed end of the stopper being extended within the tubular portion of the stopper to forma crown surrounded by an annular space and the said tubular portion of the stopper being reduced in diameter externally at its inner end and provided with a series of openings having their upper edges beveled upward and outward to-an annular space between the said stopper and bottleneck and above the annular groove therein, substantially as described.

5. In devices for preventing the refilling of bottles, the combination with a bottle-neck having a valve-seat therein, of a conoidal valve fitted to said seat, a stopper perma nently secured in the bottle-neck and provided with passages, and a'buoyant locking device intermediate said stopper and valve and comprising two buoyant bodies provided with a flexible connection and adapted to be floated by introduction of a liquid to the bottle-neck and be thereby extended between and in bearing contact with said valve and stopper to prevent the unseating of the valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT BUs'rIN. EVELYN F. MYERS.

Witnesses:

F. B. KEEFER, JAMES L. NORRIS. 

